The Packers added a little bit more competition to their already shaky kicking situation by signing free agent Zach Ramirez.

Ramirez kicked for Portland State and was a first team All American during 2011 during his college career and reportedly had a strong pro day.

Here are a few notes from NFL Draftscout regarding Ramirez’s performance while in college:

 

04/17/13 – 2013 Portland State Pro Day: Portland State’s Zachary Ramirez displays strong leg…Representatives from four NFL teams gathered at Portland State’s pro day on March 12, where a top kicking prospect displayed a strong leg while working out outdoors on FieldTurf.Zachary Ramirez (who went by Zachary Brown at Portland State, but his legal name is Zachary Ramirez) measured 6-foot 1/2-inch, 203 pounds. He did not run the 40-yard dash or the shuttle, but did a 34-inch vertical jump and a 9-foot-5 broad jump. Six kickoffs went into the end zone, and was also a perfect 6-for-6 on field goal attempts at the pro day, including making two from 55 yards out.As one of the top kickers at the Football Championship Subdivision level, Ramirez was 17-for-18 on field goal attempts during the 2012 season. At the Super Regional Combine held in Dallas on April 7-8, Ramirez missed just one field goal attempt, which came from 40-plus yards out. Ramirez’s leg strength makes him a draftable player. – Gil Brandt, NFL.com
03/17/13 – 2013 Portland State Pro Day: Brown alleviated any concerns that he might not have fully recovered from a knee injury during his senior season by blasting the majority of his kicks. He boomed four kickoffs into the end zone, all with good hang time, and then took turns kicking from the left and right hash marks from increasing distances. He missed his first kick from 25 yards out, then made his next eight kicks before missing his second from 45 yards.He made one of two from 52 and apparently impressed the scouts enough that they decided to test him from 55 yards out. His first kick bounced off the pole, off the net and off the pole again (Brown said it would have been good) and his second cleared easily. “It was a little more than what I expected, but I’m happy,” he said. Nine other Vikings took part: Justin Monahan, Ben Bowen, Aaron Kincy, Khalil Bass, Ian Sluss, Marquis Jackson, Kalua Noa, Nevin Lewis and Kyle Ritt. – Ian Ruder, Special to The Oregonian
07/22/12 – 2012 BIG SKY PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM (MEDIA): K Zach Brown, Sr., Portland State, has been selected Preseason All-Big Sky football for the 2012 college football season as chosen by select media and sports information directors in the league. Brown, a 2011 consensus All-American, has already been named by The Sports Network as a preseason first team All-American for 2012. Brown, from Keizer’s McNary High School, led the nation by making 24-27 field goals last season. He holds 10 PSU kicking records. – Portland State football
07/11/12 – 2012 SPORTS NETWORK FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM: Zach Brown, Portland State, PK, Sr, has been selected Preseason FCS First Team All-American for the 2012 college football season by The Sports Network. Brown is one of 14 players from Big Sky Conference schools selected to the first, second and third teams by The Sports Network. He was the only Viking chosen. Any way you slice it, Brown was the nation’s top kicker in 2011. He was a consensus first team All-American, earning honors from Associated Press, The Sports Network, the AFCA, and Walter Camp, while being named the nation’s top kicker by the College Football Performance Awards and College Sporting News. Brown was also a finalist for the Fred Mitchell Award, recognizing kickers for excellence on the field and community service. In addition, Brown led the nation in field goals made with 24-27. He broke his own Portland State record for field goals made (18), and now owns 10 school records. A first team All-Big Sky Conference kicker, he is also six-time Big Sky Conference Player of the Week. – Portland State football

His only NFL experience prior to signing with the Packers was a tryout for the Seahawks this past spring at their rookie camp.

Here is a video of Ramirez practicing his skills and showing off an incredibly strong leg with accuracy (albeit against no competition):

 

 

In signing Ramirez, the Packers now have three kickers in camp-Mason Crosby, Giorgio Tavecchio, and Ramirez.

Who will claim the kicking duties for the 2013 Packers remains to be seen.

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John Rehor is a writer at PackersTalk.com.

He can also be heard as one of the Co-Hosts of Cheesehead Radio.

You can follow John on twitter at jrehor or email him at johnrehor@yahoo.com.

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